Preparation of phosphide based melts of glass forming metallic alloys under ambient atmosphere leads to oxide inclusions in the glass. The conventional method of excluding the ambient atmosphere by vacuum melting leads to possible losses of phosphorus values from the melt due to evaporation.
Iron phosphide is a basic ingredient in many glass-forming metallic alloy compositions, and in the high purity form required for such purpose, it is quite costly. Inexpensive forms of iron phosphide available are impure and contain phosphorus in form which can evaporate upon heating, and which tends to form volatile phosphorous peroxide and which poses a safety hazard and results in changes of the alloy composition.
It is a purpose of the present invention to prevent oxidation of glass forming alloys in melt form.
It is another purpose of the present invention to dissolve and thereby remove oxide scum forming on the surface of liquid glass forming alloy melts.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to prevent loss of phosphorous values from melts of phosphorous-containing alloys.